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Enriching the Lives of Mature Adults |
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Over the centuries, America’s immigrants settled into their new
homes and villages and made this new country their own. Some immigrants
came as individual families intent on a new life; others came in village
groups and extended families, bringing some of the familiar old world
to the unfamiliar new.
These sites are just a handful of the thousands
of important immigrant-related sites around the country. Examine this
list and think about your upcoming journeys, then look into your region
and discover the exciting treasures that your area boasts for its immigrant
backgrounds.
Statue of Libertywww.statueofliberty.org; www.nps.gov/stli/ No discussion of the immigrant experience in America would be complete without early reference to the Statue of Liberty. Located on a 12-acre island in New York Harbor called Liberty Island, the Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift to the United States from the people of France as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The statue was dedicated in 1886 and has stood as a symbol of hope to all immigrants who enter since then. Ellis Island www.ellisisland.com; www.nps.gov/elis Between January 1892 and November 1954, Ellis Island was the main entry facility for immigrants entering the United States. Located in New York Harbor at the mouth of the Hudson River, the island housed 22 buildings related to the admittance procedure for immigrants into the country. One of 30 processing stations opened by the federal government, it was the major processing station for third class/steerage immigrants in 1892. Tenement Museum www.tenement.org The Lower East Side Tenement Museum was home to 7,000 people from 20 nations between construction in 1863 and abandonment in 1935. Immigrants of all nationalities flooded the cheap tenements of the area, making a start for themselves and their families in this crowded urban landscape. Many residents worked in the nearby factories and sweatshops. This tour provides a remarkable view of the cramped living spaces and histories of three families: a German Jewish family (1870s), an Eastern European Orthodox Jewish family (1918), and an Italian Catholic family (1930s). Chinatowns in various cities, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York 
www.sanfranciscochinatown.com;
www.chinatownla.com; www.explorechinatown.comAmerica’s Chinatowns provide visual insights into a culture that has had an American presence since 1848. Consider the architecture, the style of settlement and the various businesses represented in these communities and enjoy the cultural benefits. Little Italys in various cities, including New York, San Diego, Baltimore, Boston, Wilmington littleitalynyc.com; www.littleitalysd.com; www.littleitalymd.com; Italian immigrant neighborhoods dot the American cityscape, and these are just some of the more famous enclaves. Consider the ethnic neighborhoods in your community and check out the elements that distinguish them from their neighbors, including businesses, restaurants, architecture, church affiliations, etc. Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia in Staunton www.frontier.virginia.gov This outdoor, living history museum and educational site in Staunton, Virginia, an early frontier landscape in the settlement of colonial America, features six outdoor exhibits made up of original farm buildings from Britain, Germany, and Virginia. Visit the German, Irish, and English exhibits, as well as the Ulster Forge and an 1850s American exhibit. Look for future exhibits that feature American Indian and West African dwellings, as well as a working grist mill and a mid-1800s American village. Jamestown in Virginia Several sites exist, including www.apva.org In May 1607, a group of 104 Virginia Company explorers and settlers landed on Jamestown Island to establish a Virginia English colony on the James River 60 miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The settlers immediately built a fort to provide shelter from hostile Spanish ships and native Algonquians. Excavation at the fort beginning in 1994 has uncovered more than 100,000 artifacts dating from the first half of the 17th century, and almost half from the earliest years of the settlement. Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts www.plimoth.org This look into 1627 New England includes a centuries-old Wampanoag homesite; a 1627 English Village; the Mayflower II, a full-scale reproduction of the sailing vessels of the era; a crafts center, where modern artisans create the period furnishings and clothing of the 1627 English Village; and the Nye Barn, where rare livestock contributes to global conservation efforts. Angel Island in California 
www.angelisland.org Located in Angel Island State Park, the Immigration Station Barracks Museum is closed for renovation until January 2008. A site of public controversy since its planning stages, the immigration station opened in 1910 and was designed specifically to control the flow of Chinese immigrants into the country, who were officially not welcome with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Although it was billed as the “Ellis Island of the West,” it primarily served as a detention center. During World War I, enemy aliens were held there. During World War II, it served as a processing center for German and Japanese prisoners of war. The museum effort was initiated in the 1970s. Pella, Iowa www.pella.org Reminiscent of the Netherlands with its Dutch architecture, canal, windmills, wooden shoes, and ubiquitous tulips, Pella traces its heritage to immigrants from the Netherlands who planted themselves in Iowa farm country and set out to duplicate their Old World homes. During Tulip Time in the spring, Pella celebrates its Dutch heritage through daily parades, theatrical productions, tulip gardens, crafts, music, food and costumes. Sainte Genevieve, Missouri www.ste-genevieve.com Sainte Genevieve, Missouri, has the greatest concentration of French Colonial buildings in North America. Founded in 1735 by French Canadians who followed Pere Marquette, Joliet and LaSalle down the Mississippi to settle the Illinois Country, today this city is a gorgeous All-American small town. Sainte Genevieve is located one hour south of St. Louis in southeast Missouri, and boasts a number of historic architectural homes and business sites. Hermann, Missouri www.hermannmissouri.com Located 90 minutes from St. Louis and three hours from Kansas City, Hermann, Missouri is a community offering great insights into its German immigrant settlers. Featuring more than 150 historic buildings, world class wineries, museums, shops, galleries and restaurants, Hermann is a lovely destination. Settled in the early 1800s by German settlers, this community has been a significant Missouri wine producer since 1837. Old World Wisconsin in Eagle, Wisconsin http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/oww/ Opened in 1976 to commemorate 200 years of American history, this historic farm and village museum, the largest of its kind in the world dedicated to the history of rural life, is an unforgettable experience. Today, the museum includes more than 60 historic structures, from ethnic farmsteads with furnished homes and rural outbuildings from a multitude of immigrant backgrounds to a historic village of homes, and shops for tradesmen and shopkeepers. Solvang, California (Denmark) www.cityofsolvang.com Solvang was founded in 1911 by a group of Danish educators who were escaping harsh midwestern winters. It has grown into a diverse modern city that features Danish festivals, tree-lined streets, horse drawn wagons, Hans Christian Andersen Park, windmills, Danish bakeries, restaurants, and merchants. Cornish Miner’s Village at Pendarvis in Mineral Point, Wisconsin http://agency.travelwisconsin.com/PR/Travel_News/OtherKits/Heritage.shtm This historic village preserves the history of the hardworking Cornish miners and their families who settled this region in the early 19th century to work in the lead mines in Mineral Point. Built of stone in a distinctive Cornish style, the cottages were rescued from oblivion in 1935 by local preservationists Robert Neal and Edgar Hellum, who intended to save at least one structure but wound up salvaging a number of structures. The Wisconsin Historical Society acquired the property in 1970 and has continued to expand the site and interpret it to visitors since.then. Fort De Chartres in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois http://www.state.il.us/hpa/hs/fort_de_chartres.htm In the European race to exploit the North American territory that eventually became the United States, between 1673 and 1804, France claimed the Illinois Country, an area that extended in a vertical swath between lakes Michigan and Superior to the Ohio and Missouri rivers. First governed by France’s Canada, this area was rich in furs and precious metals. In 1718, the Illinois Country was transferred to Louisiana, which sent a group of army officers, government officials, company employees, mining engineers, workmen and soldiers to establish civil government in the territory. French officials hoped that a military presence on the Mississippi would control the Fox Indians, whose frequent raids terrorized French settlers. Fort de Chartres was constructed by 1720, deteriorated rapidly due to frequent floods, was rebuilt in 1725, then was moved to Kaskaskia by 1747. A sturdier stone fort was constructed slowly through the 1750s. Today, Fort de Chartres serves as an example of 18th century French workmanship, which has been partially reconstructed to provide a glimpse of life in Illinois under the French regime. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania 
Various sites, including www.800padutch.comPersecuted throughout Europe for their religious beliefs during the Protestant Reformation, Amish and Mennonites accepted William Penn’s offer of religious freedom in the land that became Pennsylvania beginning in the 1720s and 1730s. Today, these groups are found in 23 states and in Canada. Primarily of German-Swiss background, these people farm in rural communities and live a life apart from the mainstream American life. Japanese House and Garden, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia www.shofuso.com This house, built in a 16th century style and appropriate for an educated government official, the attached tea house, and garden is an unusual but delightful attraction in Philadelphia. The site has hosted a Japanese structure and landscaping since the 1876 Centennial Exposition, though this house was designed in Japan and built in 1954-55, and was reassembled in Philadelphia in 1958. The site opens to the touring public for the year in May 2008. Seiwa-En, the Japanese Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri www.mobot.org Seiwa-En, meaning “garden of pure, clear harmony and peace,” is the largest Japanese Garden in North America. It covers 14 acres , including a 4 ½ acre lake surrounded by expansive lawns and a meandering path meant for strolling and meditation. According to Koichi Kawana, the garden’s designer, “a Japanese garden cannot be fully explained in words, but must be experienced.” With this thought in mind, he refined each aspect of the garden to encourage visitors to slow down, to contemplate, to observe, and to experience the subtle aesthetics of nature around them. Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix, Arizona www.japanesefriendshipgarden.org This authentic 3 ½ acre Japanese Stroll Garden with tea garden and tea house features gorgeous rock, stone footbridges, lanterns, more than 50 varieties of plants, flowing streams and a koi pond with more than 300 fish. The garden is a the result of a shared cultural exchange between Phoenix and its sister city, Himeji, in Japan. 
The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park in San Franciscowww.holymtn.com/garden This calming garden is the oldest Japanese garden in California, and stands on the grounds of the California Mid-Winter Exposition held in the park in 1894. The garden features Japanese cherry trees, a Mt. Fuji hedge, a new dragon hedge, irises and dwarf trees, the Drum Bridge, numerous authentic Japanese plants and shrubberies, and the Tea House.
Photo credit: Group of Siberian Emigrants. Photo by W.B. Moore. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. |
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